White Rose: La Vita Nuova
by DSW2496
Summary: Ruby Rose is starting a new school, after skipping two grades. At 11, she's the youngest at her boarding school's ninth grade. Regardless of her fears, she meets Weiss Schnee, a 13 year old, charming girl who begins to stir unfamiliar things in Ruby. Problem is, Weiss is already someone else's. Will the two get together? AU, written as a gift for my friend.
1. Love Looks Not With The Eyes

_To my Best friend Kirsten. Thanks for wanting to be my friend. You know how I think, you're always so nice to me, and you're an amazing person. I'm honestly certain when I say you're one of the best people I've ever met, and I'm glad I get to know you. You're the sister I've never asked for, but always wanted. This entire story, start to finish, is written for, and dedicated to, you. _

_AUTHOR's NOTE: I Do NOT own RWBY. All rights go to their respective owners. _

_Chapter One: Love looks not with the eyes. _

"_Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and thus is winged cupid painted blind." -William Shakespeare._

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><p>Ruby Rose was starting High School; and not just any high school, but a boarding school as well.<p>

It was at once, both terrifying and exciting, and she wished she could spend another year in her middle school. Last year she had just started sixth grade when her teachers had all noticed she was becoming increasingly bored, and she was often correcting the teachers themselves. So, she was tested on her IQ, and here she stood, advanced by a full two years. Ruby stared at herself in the mirror for a second, taking in her chin-length black hair, her rounded chin, oval face, and piercing silver eyes.

At just eleven years old, she was likely to be one of the youngest, if not THE youngest in her class. She sighed and put on her favorite black hoodie, with red hood and trim. Her outfit consisted of a plain red shirt beneath it, grey skinny jeans, and black converse shoes, complete with silver cross earrings. Ruby sighed at her reflection, and picked up her smiley face backpack, and headed out of her empty room, bumping into her older half-sister and guardian, Yang Xiao Long. She spluttered, and backed up into her door. "Sorry, Yang." Ruby said, both flustered at her own clumsiness and terrified that, in the coming hours, she would repeat this same clumsiness, albeit on someone not nearly as forg**i**ving or kind-hearted as Yang.

Yang smiled and patted her sister on the head. "It's ok, Rubes. My hair's fine. And don't worry, Beacon Academy's going to be fine. We're going to stay there for four years, come home, and we'll enjoy life, huh?" Yang looked Ruby in the eye with obvious optimism, yet...Ruby would not be easily assuaged. Nodding, she faked a smile and walked out the door, stepping into the cab Yang had called for not 15 minutes ago, the cabbie setting their trunks in the back, and they set off.

The ride was long, and Ruby, as naive and childlike as she was, couldn't honestly say how long it took. Rather, she dozed off against Yang's shoulder while the older girl herself sat glued to her tablet. When they arrived at Beacon Academy, Yang woke the sleeping Ruby, and they grabbed their bags, turning to take their first real look at Beacon Academy.

It was an old structure, made out of the ruins of a castle, perfectly restored while retaining the outward exterior of its original structure. Iron gates loomed over them, flanked on either side by the massive walls that formed the school's perimeter. High up, atop the school, there was a working bell as well. Inside, they would find, was a more modern touch, blending both the medieval feel with the modern conveniences of technology. It was grand, and to Ruby's young eyes, intimidating. She swallowed her fear however, and walked with her sister, carrying her backpack and Yang's while Yang struggled with the trunks. It was quite humorous to see, really to watch Yang's face grow bright red and contort with anger, blow hot air and fluster, moving barely inches at a time until two men from the Dorm staff came and took their names and trunks.

Yang sighed exaggeratedly in relief, and wiped imaginary sweat from her brow, before leading Ruby up through the huge double doors, and on their small trek to the women's dorms. Along the way, they met several memorable faces, including Jaune Arc, and Pyrrha Nikos, two awkward, sweet people who clearly had something for each other. Regardless, when they reached their dorms, Ruby looked at the room assignments. She gasped when she saw that her sister would not share the same room as her and ran to Yang's side. "YANG! Yangyangyang!" Ruby breathed out her sister's name so fast, she had to pause to catch her breath, and her face was scrunched up in extreme distress, and fear. Mostly fear.

Yang immediately looked to her sister, and quirked her face in confusion. "What's wrong, Ru?" "Yang, they've-They've-" "Hey, just calm down, breathe and tell me." Yang said, placing her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Yang, they've placed us in different rooms!" Yang threw her head back and laughed. much to Ruby's chagrin. She sighed and looked Ruby dead in the eye. "Of course they did, Rube. We're in different grades. I'll just be down the hall."

With that Yang walked off, eager to meet her own roommate. Ruby sighed, and opened the door to reveal a pale girl with snow-white hair, blue eyes, pale, almost translucent skin. She wore a baby blue dress with sleeves that had holes for her thumbs, and the dress actually started just before her collarbone, flowing down to just after her knee. On her feet were white heeled boots. The girl whipped her head around to the motion of the door opening, and locked eyes with Ruby. "Hello. I assume you're my roommate? My name is Weiss."

Ruby Rose's first thought was that she was _**beautiful. **_


	2. Frozen Rose

_As always, this entire fic is dedicated to my best friend, Kirsten. Love ya! _

_Also as always, I do not own any of the rights to RWBY, and all rights go to their respective owners._

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><p><em>Chapter Two: Freezing rose. <em>

**R**uby's second thought was that of making friends. If Yang wasn't going to be there with her all the time, she had better make some friends, make what life she was living here as easy on her as possible.

Weiss Schnee on the other hand, would, in the coming days, remember many things about her first meeting with Ruby Rose. She would remember the way her hair looked, slightly strewn across her face, how her style of dress was so casual compared to her own actual dress. She would remember how Ruby smelled of her namesake and lilac, of the sudden warmth and pressure as the girl quickly hugged her, of her peculiar scent filling her nose, and she would remember the look in the girl's eyes, as if she were begging Weiss to be friends with her.

But Weiss was a Schnee, and not just any Schnee, but the heir to the Schnee Mining Company. She was an aristocrat, a paragon of high society, and even if she were able to take this girl and become friends with her, there was..HIM...to consider. Would He allow it, given his temperament? She didn't know and didn't want to find out. Especially considering that she was to be living with this girl, she didn't want to drag another innocent bystander, especially not after what had happened the last time someone had been a friend to her; she was still recovering from her wounds.

So she put on her cold front, became the Weiss that everyone else sees. She became the Ice Princess. Weiss shoved the visibly younger woman away, not missing the look of rejection and fear in Ruby's eyes. A pang of guilt rumbled its way up towards her throat, yet died on her lips. What escaped her instead only made the guilt worse. "Get off me, you dolt!"

Ruby, on the other hand, felt guilty and it bled through. She immediately profusely apologized, and backed well away from the other girl, a wee blush bepainting her pale countenance. Weiss momentarily faltered, but as quickly as it came, it was replaced by her usual frigid demeanor. She sighed, and acted like the standoffish brat she was. stamping her foot and gesturing to the bed on the right. "This is my bed. The left is yours. Now come on, we're late for class."

With that, Weiss grabbed Ruby by the wrist, ignoring the soft feel of her skin, and practically dragged her through the halls for the very first class of the day: Gym. Ruby had to struggle to keep up with Weiss' insistent pace, and blushed a very, very, very deep red as she was led into the changing room. Lately, Ruby had been noticing girls moreso than boys, and it did not fail to embarrass her. She was hoping that it was a phase, and she would soon be able to comfortably change in the presence of girls like Weiss. Ruby didn't know why, but she felt drawn to her, though they'd only known each other for a few moments. She supposed she could chalk it up to desperately needing a friend, but Weiss was certainly interesting. Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruby realized she was all alone, and hurried out.

For the next hour, she was brought through the basics of the class routine, which began with stretching and ended with running so hard she felt a cramp creep into her lung. She always managed to stay behind Weiss, too, for no matter how far she pushed herself, she always found that Weiss was a step ahead. Halfway through the class, that actually became a point of competition between the two, and it became a race.

For the rest of the day, however, Ruby's interactions with Weiss were limited, as the girl was putting on her Ice Queen facade, and yet, ironically, the girls were paired together in each and every class. Ruby had to sit there, and talk to Weiss, and yet, simultaneously, not talk at all, not really. Nothing of personal importance was gleaned, nor was any real connection made. Every time Ruby tried to get Weiss to open up, she was shut down, under either a withering glare, or a few curt words of "Shut up" or "It isn't worth speaking of."

Ruby didn't exactly know why, nor did she exactly care to push the issue. She was, however, determined to find out what the hell was stuck in her craw. Her opportunity came when the two returned to their room, and it was then that Ruby took her chance and spoke up.

"Weiss, listen, Explain to me exactly what the hell is wrong with you? I just want to be your friend. "

Weiss paused at her bed and sighed loudly. "Nothing is wrong, Ruby, it's just...Being friends with me isn't something you should really do. Not with...It just isn't. So stay away from me, for your own sake."

Ruby heard this, and sighed, another look of pained rejection floated before her eyes, and Weiss felt another wave of guilt in her heart. This girl is so sweet, and so nice, she can't help but be friends with her-or rather WANT to be friends, anyway. She decided to bring up the issue when she talked to HIM tommorow. "Look, I'll talk, and see what He says, but no promises."

With that, Weiss crawled into bed, and fell asleep, dreading the coming day She hoped that he would be accomodating, but since he literally held her future in his hands, she had no doubt he'd deny her, as he had denied her time and time again.


	3. Thawing Rose

_As always, this entire fic is dedicated to my best friend, Kirsten. Love ya!_

_This chapter is also dedicated to my other best friend Rhian. Love ya too! You're the most adorable girl ever, and I'm so proud/ awed that you're my friend. _

_Also as always, I do not own any of the rights to RWBY, and all rights go to their respective owners._

_RIP Monty Oum_

_Chapter Three: Thawing Rose_

Weiss was not scared. She was a Schnee after all. Schnee women do not show fear, nor do they show cowardice. Weiss was not scared; She was _terrified. _But Weiss was The Ice Queen, and so she slipped on her little "Nothing bothers me, nothing scares me" mask that everyone sees and respects.

But her abject,knee quaking internal terror was not a normal thing. No, if she could help it, she would avoid HIM. And yet, here she was, about to confront HIM over a girl she had known for all of one day. Was a new friend really worth it? Was Ruby really worth any consideration more than as her roommate? Weiss paused by the bathroom, remembering all of the things she remembered from her first meeting with Ruby Rose. The sights,sounds,smells, and more that all added up to create something unique. Of course, the white haired young woman couldn't place exactly why she was able to recall these sensations, or why she bothered to remember. Ruby was practically a stranger, and yet, there was something in her that made Weiss want to get to know her.

Thus, with this renewed vigor, she stepped out of the restroom and headed to HIM. It took her no more than four minutes to reach his locker, no more than a second to catch his attention. And why should it have taken any longer? She was, after all, his girlfriend, his favorite plaything, the one person he loved to torment more than any other. HIS Name was Cardin Winchester, and he was tall, with burnt orange hair, pale skin, and cruel, harsh eyes.

Why was he her boyfriend, then, if he loved to make her suffer so? It was not by choice, assuredly; Cardin came from old money, and he had managed to put up a front of the kind, proper young man in view of those who mattered. His image had caught the eye of Weiss' father, who declared him the frontrunner for Weiss' hand in marriage. What this translated to in Cardin's eyes was simple. She is now mine. She is now mine to torment. And thus, from the moment he entered her life, nothing was ever fun or pleasureable for her.

Weiss on the other hand, was furious with the arrangement. She tried in vain to get her parents to see the sociopath Cardin was, and when that failed, she tried Cardin's own parents. who infact, knew who and what he was, but were so deep within his thrall that they felt the only way to escape him was to inflict him and his terror on someone else. It was immeasurably frustrating, and what's more, Weiss knew it wasn't just her he was forcing into hell, it was everyone she associated with, everyone she talked to, breathed upon, even glanced at by chance. He wanted her so cripplingly alone that she'd be his little slave, whiling away at his whim for even the barest hint of human contact. Oh, she had friends, but they weren't really her friends, they were his cronies pretending to be her friends. It was wrong, she knew, but if she really wanted Ruby in her life, she had to do this, had to beg…

So she took the deepest breath she had in years, and sighed. Opening her mouth to speak, she began in words that'd stroke his ego. "Cardin, I've something to ask of you, rather your permission to do something." Cardin looked down at her, and his face warped into a smug look, his grin growing, his eyes half lidded with a contemptuous glean in them, as if to say "Go on. I may say no, but I'm listening."

Weiss placed a hand against her stomach and sighed again. "I want to ask you to let me be friends with my new roomate, Ruby Rose. What's more, I want to ask you to not reveal this-" -at this she gestured between the two of them, and they both knew she meant her torture-"-to her. She's two years younger, Cardin."

The Winchester terror sighed boredly, and considered it for a moment. Should he give her this, this thin ray of hope? After a moment, he nodded his head. She almost smiled, were it not for his caveat that followed. "You may, if you do something for me…" He leaned in and whispered in her ear, and what she heard made her go even paler than she was known for.

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><p>After she had returned to her dorm, her tired and sunken eyes quickly warmed at the sleeping form of Ruby. Though she couldn't exactly explain why, she had quickly begun to feel something for the younger girl, something she couldn't pin down, really. For now, she felt, it was best to just label the girl her friend. She couldn't risk anything more, not until she was free from Cardin.<p>

She walked to Ruby's bed and ran a hand over Ruby's cheek, the girl leaning into the touch unconsciously, blushing in her sleep. Weiss smiled and crawled into her own bed before falling asleep herself. Perhaps, she thought, Perhaps this girl is worth it….


End file.
